The Parables of the Mustard Seed & the Leaven

Matthew 13:31-33 New King James Version

Two parables are sandwiched between the Parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and its interpretation (Matthew 13:36-43).

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32)

1. Matthew 13:31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,

a. Matthew 13:24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

2. Matthew 13:32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greaterthan the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

a. In both the Jewish and Greco-Roman world mustard seeds were proverbially known for their small size, even though other seeds, such as the orchid or cypress, were known to be smaller.[1]

i. While not technically the smallest of all seeds known today, it was the smallest of all those that Jews regularly planted in their gardens, which is all that the proverbial language is claiming.[2]

ii. The seed is indeed very small, measuring .075 [seventy-five thousandths] inches in diameter, but the plant it produces can become six, twelve, or in rare cases even fifteen feet high.[3]

iii. Most identify the seed in question as black mustard (Brassica nigra), although other varieties like white mustard are possible. This seed germinates within five days and grows quickly to a height of about ten feet and has large leaves, especially at its base.[4]

b. Nevertheless, in antiquity the term δένδρον [tree] could occasionally refer to tall plants.[5]

c. Birds would have been attracted to the mustard plant because of both its shade and its seeds.[6]

i. A tree in whose shade animals or birds find shelter and sustenance is an OT image of a powerful kingdom sheltering nations.[7]

1. OT texts: Ezek 17:23; 31:6; Dan 4:9, 18 (12, 21 in Theodotion and LXX); or Ps 104:12.[8]

2. Ezekiel 31:6 All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; And in its shadow all great nations made their home.

The Parable of the Leaven (Matthew 13:33)

1. Matthew 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

a. leaven n. — a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid; the main ingredient that causes bread to rise.

i. Moreover, though yeast is normally associated with evil in the OT, this is not always so (cf. Lev 7:13; 23:15–18).[9]

1. Leviticus 7:13 Besides the cakes, as his offering he shall offer leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offering.

b. Hid - to put in ⇔hide v. — to put inside (so as to make invisible); conceived of as hiding something.

c. Meal – flour

d. Three measures - Far more difficult is the expression σάτα τρία (sata tria, “three satas”). NIV has “a large amount of flour,” which is time enough; but it is not an unreasonable amount of flour, adopted for parabolic purpose, since the same amount was mixed by Sarah in Genesis 18:6. It probably represents the largest amount of flour a woman might make up into bread at one time.[10]

Conclusion

Parables address questions, whether the questions are explicit or implicit. Nearly all agree that this similitude addresses the implicit question about the unimpressive and unexpected nature of the kingdom Jesus claimed was already present. Could what was happening with Jesus and his disciples really be the establishment of God’s kingdom?[11]

If there is a distinction between this parable and the last one, it is that the mustard seed suggests extensive growth and the yeast intensive transformation. The yeast doesn’t grow, it permeates; and its inevitable effect, despite the small quantity used.[12]

Application

1. How is your life helping to grow the kingdom?

2. How is the kingdom growing in your life?

[1] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 220). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [2] Blomberg, C. L. (2012). Interpreting the Parables (Second Edition, p. 392). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press. [3] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (p. 395). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [4] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 220). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [5] Hultgren, A. J. (2002). The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. (D. N. Freedman & A. B. Beck, Eds.) (p. 396). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [6] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 220). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [7] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 224). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [8] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 224). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [9] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 319). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. NIVThe New International Version [10] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 319). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [11] Snodgrass, K. (2018). Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Second Edition, p. 225). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. [12] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 319). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.